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Objective: Chronic stress arises from stressful situations in day-to-day life that are ignored or managed incorrectly. Long-term stress can have negative effects, especially when it plays a role in the development of neurological illnesses. Severe stress can also negatively impact emotional well-being. Virgin coconut oil (VCO) has numerous health advantages. The aim of this study was to assess how VCO affected the biochemical and behavioral characteristics of Wistar albino rats exposed to chronic, unpredictable stress. Materials and Methods: Healthy Wistar albino rats (150-200 gm) were split into two groups: experimental group and control group. Based on stress exposure and treatment with VCO and antidepressants, they were further divided into various subgroups. A chronic, unpredictable stress procedure was given for 21 days. After the experimental procedure, the rats were anesthetized, and through a cardiac puncture, blood was collected. The liver and brain were dissected to estimate different biochemical markers. Results: VCO proved to be a protective agent against chronic, unpredictable stress-induced changes in the biochemical parameters, hepatic enzyme activity, lipid profile, oxidative stress, and cognition. Conclusion: VCO might be helpful as an effective natural treatment that can be utilized to effectively combat chronic, unpredictable stress-induced changes in brain and liver tissue.

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OBJECTIVES: Infertility has disastrous consequences, particularly for women. Causes of infertility in developed countries have been investigated but there is a significant lack of data among Indian female population. The aim of the present study was to analyze the causes and the proportion of the individual factors contributing to infertility, considering the age factor. METHODS: The data of 204 infertile women (18-45 years) were collected from the files in tertiary care hospitals. Causes and age of infertile women were grouped. The prevalence of each cause was evaluated. Data analysis was done using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version 17.0. RESULTS: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) was the most common (14.71%) cause of female infertility. Ovulatory dysfunctions (25.55%) were the foremost cause in primary infertility, whereas in secondary infertility, uterine factors (26.86%) were most common. The incidence of primary and secondary infertility was more evident in patients who were more than 30 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Causes of infertility vary according to the age. The causes of female infertility were unexplained infertility, ovulatory disorders and uterine factors most commonly affecting women at ≤30 years.

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OBJECTIVES: The global increase in various neurological disorders is a serious problem to be concerned. This study mainly focused on the changes in cognitive impairment, sleep pattern, visuospatial ability in the Parkinson's disease (PD) and its possible association with the usage of smartphones durations. METHODS: Parkinson's patients (40-60 years) visiting neurology clinics were included in this study. Based on their age the grouping was designed as Group I (>60) and Group II (40-60 years). All the patients were evaluated for the various motor symptoms in the presence of a neurologist and graded accordingly. The non-motor symptoms included the analysis cognitive function and sleep patterns. The mobile phone usage time was also collected. The Hoehn and Yahr system was used as assessment tool for gradations of PD signs. RESULTS: Duration of mobile phone usage in the Parkinson's patients ranging from 45-60 year was more when compared to the patients aged more than 60 years. The usage of mobile phone did not show significant variation on severity of motor symptoms and cognitive functions. Increased incidence of sleep deprivation was observed in the PD patients aged 40-60 years. Increased usage of mobile phone has been inversely associated with the increased progression of the Parkinson's disease. CONCLUSION: The present study pointed out the significant association of mobile phone usage with the early onset of Parkinsonism.

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Background In recent years, increased stress in human life has a dual effect on brain and body physiology. Chronic stress takes a toll on physiology as well as on quality of life, ultimately leading to affective disorders. Rodent models are indispensable tools for studying the etiology and progress of depression. C-reactive protein has been proposed as a novel inflammatory marker. Methods Rats were divided into control and experimental stress groups (n = 6 each). The experimental group consisted of rats that were exposed to a set of chronic unpredictable stressors for 15 days. At the end of the 15th day, the animals were anesthetized, and blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture. Then the blood samples were analyzed for selected biochemical and oxidative stress parameters. Results Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (p < 0.0001), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (p < 0.001), serum malondialdehyde (p < 0.0001), total antioxidant level (p < 0.0001), and serum cortisol (p < 0.0001) were significantly increased in the stressed group when compared with the control group. C-reactive protein significantly (p < 0.0001) increased in the stressed group when compared with the control group. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that chronic unpredictable stress ameliorated depression-like behavior, which might have caused the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, causing the imbalance in the biochemical and oxidative parameters increasing the inflammatory markers. The inflammation-induced model of the chronic unpredictable stress model of comorbid depression might provide a variety of new targets for antidepressant therapies.

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